Cognitive stateful firewall for iot devices

ABSTRACT

Embodiments of the present disclosure include a method, computer program product, and system for determining to push a data packet to a device. A processor may receive a first data packet. The processor may execute the first data packet in a secure environment. The secure environment may simulate a first state of a device. The device may include a firewall. The processor may determine, from the execution of the first data packet, that the first state changed to a second state. The processor may identify that the second state is a predetermined secure state. The processor may push the data packet to the device in response to identifying that the second state is the predetermined secure state.

BACKGROUND

The present disclosure relates generally to the field of firewallsecurity, and more specifically to protecting client devices and serversconnected to the internet-of-things (IoT) by use a stateful firewall.

The IoT consists of multiple devices (e.g., client devices and servers)connected via a network. The network allows the devices tointercommunicate with one another by transferring and receiving data. Asof today, there has been an increase in the number of devices connectedto the IoT. With the increase of connected devices, each deviceconnected to the IoT is vulnerable to possible malfeasance.

SUMMARY

Embodiments of the present disclosure include a method, computer programproduct, and system for determining to push a data packet to a device. Aprocessor may receive a first data packet. The processor may execute thefirst data packet in a secure environment. The secure environment maysimulate a first state of a device. The device may include a firewall.The processor may determine, from the execution of the first datapacket, that the first state changed to a second state. The processormay identify that the second state is a predetermined secure state. Theprocessor may push the data packet to the device in response toidentifying that the second state is the predetermined secure state.

The above summary is not intended to describe each illustratedembodiment or every implementation of the present disclosure.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The drawings included in the present disclosure are incorporated into,and form part of, the specification. They illustrate embodiments of thepresent disclosure and, along with the description, serve to explain theprinciples of the disclosure. The drawings are only illustrative ofcertain embodiments and do not limit the disclosure.

FIG. 1 depicts a block diagram of an example system for determiningwhether to allow a data packet to be processed by a device, inaccordance with embodiments of the present disclosure.

FIG. 2 illustrates a flowchart an example method for pushing a datapacket to a device, in accordance with embodiments of the presentdisclosure.

FIG. 3 illustrates a flowchart of an example method for determining if asimulated state of a device is secure, in accordance with embodiments ofthe present disclosure.

FIG. 4 depicts a cloud computing environment, in accordance withembodiments of the present disclosure.

FIG. 5 depicts abstraction model layers, in accordance with embodimentsof the present disclosure.

FIG. 6 illustrates a high-level block diagram of an example computersystem that may be used in implementing one or more of the methods,tools, and modules, and any related functions, described herein, inaccordance with embodiments of the present disclosure.

While the embodiments described herein are amenable to variousmodifications and alternative forms, specifics thereof have been shownby way of example in the drawings and will be described in detail. Itshould be understood, however, that the particular embodiments describedare not to be taken in a limiting sense. On the contrary, the intentionis to cover all modifications, equivalents, and alternatives fallingwithin the spirit and scope of the invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Aspects of the present disclosure relate generally to the field offirewall security, and more specifically to protecting client devicesand servers connected to the internet-of-things (IoT) using a statefulfirewall. While the present disclosure is not necessarily limited tosuch applications, various aspects of the disclosure may be appreciatedthrough a discussion of various examples using this context.

A user owning a device (e.g., a smartphone, a washer, a dyer, a server,etc.) connected to the IoT may desire to protect their device by bothmonitoring outgoing and incoming data. Typically, though, protectionsfor IoT connected devices only include a firewall that monitors incomingdata, and blocks incoming data that is determined, from a predefinedlist of threats, to be a threat to an IoT connected device. As such, theuser may turn to a stateful firewall (e.g., a firewall that includes asimulated environment that functions as a state machine that begins in afirst state and upon execution of a command transitions to anotherstate) that examines and/or executes incoming and outgoing data in asimulated environment.

In some embodiments, a processor (e.g., running stateful firewallsoftware on a client-side device) may receive a first data packet (e.g.,containing one or more commands). The processor may execute the firstdata packet in a secure environment (e.g., a simulated environment, asandbox environment, etc.). In some embodiments, the secure environmentsimulates a first state of a device. In some embodiments, the device mayinclude a firewall. The processor may determine, from the execution ofthe first data packet, that the first state changed to a second state.The processor may identify that the second state is a predeterminedsecure state. The processor may push the data packet to the device inresponse to identifying that the second state is the predeterminedsecure state.

For example, a user may be out of their house on a jog. The user mayhave an IoT connected thermostat and decide that they want a cool houseto return to. The user may open an application on their smartphone thatis associated with the thermostat and set the thermostat, from theirsmartphone, to 70 degrees Fahrenheit. A firewall programmed into thethermostat may receive the command to cool the house to 70 degrees, butbefore forwarding to the command to the thermostat control unit, thefirewall may execute the command in a simulated environment that isseparate from a runtime environment that would actually make thethermostat react to the command.

The simulated environment in the firewall would take a snapshot of thethermostat at the moment the command is received. The thermostat may beset for 75 degrees. The firewall may then execute the command in thesimulated environment and identify that the thermostat would transitionfrom 75 degrees (e.g., the first state) to 70 degrees (e.g., the secondstate). The firewall may determine that this is in an acceptable rangeof temperatures and push the command to the thermostat to actuallyexecute and perform the cooling of the house.

In some embodiments, the firewall may additionally confirm thecredentials of the entity sending the command. That is, the firewall mayidentify that the owner of the house is the one sending the command. Thefirewall may give more weight to the owner of the house sending thecommand versus an unknown source. In some embodiments, the firewall maydetermine what is an acceptable range of temperatures from informationinstalled on the thermostat by the manufacturer. The information may beprogrammed into the thermostat (e.g., an IoT client) and accessed by anIoT server during bootstrap, which may direct how the thermostat shouldbe used, or may identify what the thermostat is authorized to do. Forexample, the manufacturer may identify that most individuals desire aroom temperature between 65 degrees and 80 degrees. Thus, if anything(e.g., a received command to set the thermostat, a received packet withinstructions for setting the thermostat, or the result after executionin the test environment) is over or under those temperatures, morescrutiny must be given to the command (e.g., confirming the of thecredentials of the entity sending the command).

In some embodiments, when determining that the first state changed to asecond, predetermined secure state, the processor may access arepository of one or more predetermined secure states. The processor maythen or additionally identify that the second state corresponds to atleast one of the one or more secure states. Following the example above,the firewall would access the manufacturer installed information andidentify that 70 degrees, as requested by the user, is within the rangeof 65 degrees to 80 degrees. Upon the identification of 70 degreeswithin the range, the firewall may determine that 70 degrees is anacceptable command to push to the thermostat control unit (e.g.,included in the thermostat device) to actually execute.

In some embodiments, the processor may receive a second data packet. Theprocessor may execute the second data packet in the secure environment.The secure environment may simulate the second state of the device(e.g., the device may retain the second state after being pushed andexecuting the first data packet). The processor may determine, from theexecution of the second data packet, that the second state changed to athird state. The processor may identify that the third state is aninsecure state. The processor may halt the pushing of the second datapacket to the device in response to identifying that the third state isthe insecure state and alert a user (e.g., an owner of the device) tothe halting.

Again, following the example above, the thermostat recently changed to70 degrees may receive a second command at the firewall. The secondcommand may be from a hidden user that requests to cool the house evenfurther, to 30 degrees. Upon receiving the second command, the firewallmay take a snapshot of the thermostats state at that moment, 70 degrees,and mimic the 70-degree state of the thermostat in the simulated state.The firewall may then execute the second command in the simulatedenvironment and determine that the thermostat would change from 70degrees (e.g., the second state) to 30 degrees (e.g., the third state).

The firewall, identifying from manufacturer relayed information that aroom temperature between 65 degrees and 80 degrees is desirable mayidentify that the 30 degrees does not fall within that range and haltthe pushing of the second command, thereby stopping the actual executionof second command by the thermostat and keeping the house at 70 degrees.The firewall may additionally generate an alert that is received on theuser's smartphone. The user may not have been the one who initiated thesecond command and may now be induced by the alert to take the necessaryprecautions in securing their thermostat (e.g., changing networkpasswords, etc.).

In some embodiments, when determining that the second state changed to athird, insecure state, the processor may access a repository of one ormore predetermined secure states. The processor may identify that thethird state does not correspond to at least one of the one or moresecure states. For example, a user may own a home-video surveillancecamera, a laptop, and a desktop computer that are all connected to theIoT. The user may access the laptop and command a live-feed of thehome-video surveillance while at a coffee shop. A firewall on thehome-video surveillance camera gateway (e.g., a client gateway) mayreceive the command and access a repository of allowed actions by thehome-video surveillance camera. The firewall may determine that sendinga live feed to a laptop is an allowed action to be performed by thehome-video surveillance camera (e.g., the first state being no streamingto the second state being the live-feed stream). The firewall may thenpush the command to the home-video surveillance camera (e.g., thefirewall may push the command to a control unit in the home-videosurveillance camera, the control unit executing the command to establisha live-feed connection) and a live-feed stream between the camera andthe laptop may be generated.

The home-video surveillance camera may then receive a second command toaccess the desktop and forward the user's personal data to athird-party. The firewall may again access the repository of allowedactions, however, the firewall may not identify accessing or forwardinga user's personal data to a third-party in the allowable actionrepository. The firewall may then determine that if the second commandis pushed to the home-video surveillance camera, the camera would be inan insecure state (e.g., the second state being the live-feed stream tothe third state being a data stream of personal user information). Thefirewall may not push the second command to the home-video surveillancecamera and alert the user to the attempted personal information capture.In some embodiments, the firewall may identify and validate thecredentials of the entity that initiated a command. Following theexample above, the firewall may additionally check that the user'slaptop was the device directing the home-video surveillance camera tocreate a live-feed stream. This may prevent the home-video surveillancecamera from establishing a live-feed with any unverified device.

In some embodiments, when determining that the second state changed to athird, insecure state, the processor may additionally access ahistorical data packet repository. The historical data packet repositorymay store information corresponding to one or more data packetspreviously pushed to the device. In some embodiments, the historicaldata packet repository may maintain all information regarding previouslypushed data packets. In other embodiments, the historical data packetrepository may retain information only regarding the newest precedingpushed data packet (e.g., the data packet immediate pushed before thesecond data packet). The processor may compare the informationassociated with the one or more data packets to information associatedwith the second data packet. The processor may identify that theinformation associated with the one or more data packets does not matchthe information associated with the second data packet.

For example, a firewall may have already determined, from manufacturerprovided information, that a command would place a device in an insecurestate. However, the firewall may then access historical commands that auser allowed to transpire. For example, a smart controlled house mayhave manufacturer information that details that when no one is in thehouse, all the lights should be off. However, a user may like to returnhome to a well-lit house. The first time the user tried to turn on theirhouse lights while not at home, a firewall built into the smartcontrolled house may have identified that the command does not fallwithin the manufacturer provided information, nor have the lights beenturned on when no one is home before. As such, the firewall may send analert to the user. The alert may have given the user the option tooverride the firewall's determination to not turn any lights on. Thesecond time the user tries to put the house lights on before cominghome, the firewall will identify that turning on the house lights waspreviously allowed and will push the command to the smart house andallow the lights to be on. It is noted that the above-mentionedembodiments denote simulating incoming data packets in a secureenvironment to ensure that a device does not transition into an insecurestate.

Additionally noted, some embodiments discussed below discuss sanitizing(e.g., expunge sensitive/personal data) outgoing data packets, while thedevice is in a secure state. The firewall may ensure that even when thenext state of the device is secure, any outgoing information isadequately sanitized by removing personal and/or sensitive information.In some embodiments, the processor may send a second data packet. Theprocessor may identify that the second data packet includes personalinformation associated with a user. The processor may delete thepersonal information form the second data packet. For example, a pair ofwireless headphones may be trying to pair with a smartphone. Thewireless headphones may be poorly implemented and send a blanketedcommand for the smartphone's “information.” The wireless headphones mayjust mean the smartphone's connection information; however, thesmartphone may read the command as all information that the smartphonecan provide. In order to prevent the sending of the user's personalinformation to the wireless headphones and needlessly exposing theuser's personal information, a firewall running on the smartphone mayidentify, before sending the personal information, that personalinformation is going to be sent to the wireless headphones. The firewallmay determine that the user's personal information is not needed by thewireless headphones and delete the user's personal information. This mayallow the smartphone and wireless headphones to still pair while notexposing the user's personal data. In some embodiments, what constitutespersonal information may be configured in the firewall (e.g., thefirewall may be programmed to determine what is personal information,such as, user name, address, credit card number, etc.).

In another example, a person trying to gain access to a user's personalinformation may create a data packet that asks for miscellaneousinformation (e.g., time, date, etc.) in addition to the user's personalinformation. A firewall upon receiving the data packet may push the datapacket to a device running the firewall. The firewall may havedetermined, from the simulated execution of the data packet, that thedevice would not be in an insecure state. However, before the device isallowed to send the information out, the firewall may do an additionalcheck on the actual data retrieved upon actual execution of the datapacket. The firewall may then identify that personal information isbeing sent out, and delete the personal information. The person thenonly receives miscellaneous information that cannot be used to damagethe user.

In some embodiments, the processor may determine that the first datapacket has authority to change the first state to the second state byidentifying that information associated with the first data packetcorresponds to one or more commands designated to perform the change.For example, a smartphone using a universal integrated circuit card(UICC) may only be allowed to use a certain network from a certainmobile provider. The smartphone may receive a command from the certainmobile provider to verify that the smartphone has permission to use thecertain mobile provider's network. A firewall on the smartphone mayaccess the UICC and determine that the network information correspondsto information in the command that is associated with the certain mobileprovider. The firewall may then push the command to the smartphone,which may then verify that the smartphone is using the correct networkthat is provided by the certain mobile network provider.

Referring now to FIG. 1, illustrated is a block diagram of an examplesystem 100 for determining whether to allow a data packet 102 to beprocessed by a device 104, in accordance with embodiments of the presentdisclosure. In some embodiments, the system 100 may include a datapacket 102 and a device 104 that may include a firewall 106, device data118, an alert/halt module 120, and an execute module 116. In someembodiments, the firewall 106 may include a secure environment 108(e.g., sandbox environment, simulated environment, etc.) and acontroller 114. In some embodiments, the secure environment 108 mayinclude a secure state repository 110 and a historical repository 112.

In some embodiments, the system 100 may generate a data packet 102, thatis received at a network gateway (e.g., where most firewalls aretypically located) of the device 104. Upon receiving the data packet102, the firewall 106 may take the data packet 102 and store the datapacket in the secure environment 108. The firewall 106 maysimultaneously, or subsequently, retrieve device data 118 (e.g., serialnumber, frequency channels, IP address, etc.) and copy the device data118 to the secure environment 108. The firewall 106 mimics the state ofthe device 104 in the secure environment at the exact time that the datapacket 102 was received.

The firewall 106 may access the data packet 102 and execute the commandsfound within the data packet 102. The firewall 106 will execute thecommands on the copied device data 118 in the secure environment 108.The firewall 106 will additionally access the secure state repository110 and determine if the executed commands in the secure environment 108correspond to a secure state identified in the secure state repository110. The firewall 106 will further access, or while simultaneouslyaccessing the secure state repository 110, the historical repository112. In some embodiments, the firewall may only access the historicalrepository 112 after determining that the executed commands did notproduce a secure state, as would be found in the secure state repository110. The firewall may determine from the historical repository 112 ifthe executed commands correspond to a previously allowed state.

In some embodiments, the information of the various states (e.g., thefirst state, second state, secure state, insecure state, etc.) that thedevice 104 can be in, and the transitions between the various states,are manufacturer provided information and mimicked in the secureenvironment 108. This may be because, IoT devices are usually designedto be controlled via external commands, and hence there is APIdocumentation regarding how data packets (e.g., containing commands)lead to transition between states of the device.

Upon determining that the executed commands place the secure environment108 in a secure state or not (e.g., and thus if executed by the device104, the device 104 in a secure state or not), the controller 114 maydetermine to push the data packet 102 to the execute module 116 or thealert/halt module 120. The controller 114 may determine to push the datapacket 102 to the execute module 116 upon determining that the executionof the commands in the data packet 102 would leave the device 104 in asecure state. The controller 114 may determine to transfer the datapacket 102 to the alert/halt module 120 upon determining that theexecution of the commands in the data packet 102 would leave the device104 in an insecure state. In some embodiments, the alert/halt module 120may alert (e.g., text message, notify with a display action, etc.) anowner of the device 104 and allow the owner to decide to delete the datapacket 102 or process the data packet 102.

Referring now to FIG. 2 illustrated is a flowchart of an example method200 for pushing a data packet to a device, in accordance withembodiments of the present disclosure. In some embodiments, the method200 may be performed by a processor. In some embodiments, the method 200may be performed by a server. The method 200 may being at operation 202.At operation 202, a processor receives a data packet.

After operation 202, the method 200 may proceed to operation 204. Atoperation 204, the processor executes the data packet in a secureenvironment. The secure environment may simulate a state of a device atthe time that the data packet is received by copying the state of thedevice at the (e.g., exact) time the data packet is received. The method200 may proceed to operation 206, where the processor determines (e.g.,identifies), from the execution of the data packet in the secureenvironment, whether the first state of the device would change to asecond state if actually executed by the device.

The method 200 may proceed to decision block 208 after operation 206. Atdecision block 208 the processor determines if the second state of thedevice would be secure. The processor may determine if the device wouldbe in a secure state by accessing multiple repositories, as detailedbelow in regard to FIG. 3. If it is determined at decision block 208that the second state of the device is not secure, the method 200 mayend.

If it is determined at decision block 208 that the second state of thedevice is secure, the method 200 may proceed to operation 210. Atoperation 210, the processor pushes the data packet to the device forexecution by the device. In some embodiments, the device may actuallyprocess the data packet and executed the commands/information within thedata packet, putting the device in the state that was simulated in thesecure environment. After operation 210, the method 200 may end.

Referring now to FIG. 3, illustrated is a flowchart of an example method300 for determining if a simulated state of a device is secure, inaccordance with embodiments of the present disclosure. In someembodiments, the method 300 may be a continuation of decision block 208of FIG. 2.

In some embodiments, the method 300 may begin at operation 302. Atoperation 302, the processor may access a repository of one or morepredetermined secure states. The process may then proceed to decisionblock 304, where it is determined if the second state of the device inthe secure environment corresponds to at least one of the predeterminedsecure states found in the repository of one or more predeterminedsecure states. If it is determined at decision block 304 that the secondstate does correspond to at least one of the predetermined securestates, the method 300 may end and the processor may push the datapacket to the device as detailed in operation 210 of FIG. 2.

If it is determined at decision block 304 that the second state does notcorrespond to at least one of the predetermined secure states, themethod 300 may proceed to operation 306. At operation 306 the processoraccesses a historical data packet repository. The historical data packetrepository contains stored information corresponding to one or more datapackets previously pushed to the device. In some embodiments, thehistorical data packet repository may only contain data packets thatwere first determined by the processor to not be pushed, but then a userallowed them to be pushed. In some embodiments, the historical datapacket repository may contain all data packets ever pushed to the device(e.g., all data packets automatically pushed by the processor and pushedin response to allowance by a user).

After operation 306, the method 300 may proceed to operation 308. Atoperation 308, the processor compares the information associated withthe historical data packets to information associated with the datapacket (e.g., the information contained within the data packet, such as,commands, functions, etc.). The method 300 may then proceed to decisionblock 310, where the processor determines if any of the historicalinformation matches the information associated with the data packet(e.g., the processor determines if a previously pushed packet containsthe same or similar commands as the data packet). If it is determined atdecision block 310 that the historical information does match theinformation associated with the data packet, the method 300 may end andthe processor may push the data packet to the device as detailed inoperation 210 of FIG. 2.

If it is determined at decision block 310 that the historicalinformation does not match the information associated with the datapacket, the method 300 may proceed to operation 312. At operation 312,the process halts the pushing of the data packet (e.g., the data packetmakes no contact with the internal workings of the device and thereforehas no way of possibly compromising the security of the device or theowner of the device). In some embodiments, halting the pushing of thedata packet may include the processor (e.g., running software for astateful firewall) quarantining the data packet and/or expunging thedata packet.

After operation 312, the method 300 may proceed to operation 314, wherethe processor alerts a user (e.g., an owner of the device) to thehalting of the data packet. In some embodiments, the alert may be aninteractive alert that allows the user to choose to ignore the alert andallow the data packet to be pushed to the device and subsequently addedto the historical data packet repository. Or the user may choose toaccept the alert and have the data packet expunged from the processor.After operation 314, the method 300 may end.

It is to be understood that although this disclosure includes a detaileddescription on cloud computing, implementation of the teachings recitedherein are not limited to a cloud computing environment. Rather,embodiments of the present invention are capable of being implemented inconjunction with any other type of computing environment now known orlater developed.

Cloud computing is a model of service delivery for enabling convenient,on-demand network access to a shared pool of configurable computingresources (e.g., networks, network bandwidth, servers, processing,memory, storage, applications, virtual machines, and services) that canbe rapidly provisioned and released with minimal management effort orinteraction with a provider of the service. This cloud model may includeat least five characteristics, at least three service models, and atleast four deployment models.

Characteristics are as follows:

On-demand self-service: a cloud consumer can unilaterally provisioncomputing capabilities, such as server time and network storage, asneeded automatically without requiring human interaction with theservice's provider.

Broad network access: capabilities are available over a network andaccessed through standard mechanisms that promote use by heterogeneousthin or thick client platforms (e.g., mobile phones, laptops, and PDAs).

Resource pooling: the provider's computing resources are pooled to servemultiple consumers using a multi-tenant model, with different physicaland virtual resources dynamically assigned and reassigned according todemand. There is a sense of location independence in that the consumergenerally has no control or knowledge over the exact location of theprovided resources but may be able to specify location at a higher levelof abstraction (e.g., country, state, or datacenter).

Rapid elasticity: capabilities can be rapidly and elasticallyprovisioned, in some cases automatically, to quickly scale out andrapidly released to quickly scale in. To the consumer, the capabilitiesavailable for provisioning often appear to be unlimited and can bepurchased in any quantity at any time.

Measured service: cloud systems automatically control and optimizeresource use by leveraging a metering capability at some level ofabstraction appropriate to the type of service (e.g., storage,processing, bandwidth, and active user accounts). Resource usage can bemonitored, controlled, and reported, providing transparency for both theprovider and consumer of the utilized service.

Service Models are as follows:

Software as a Service (SaaS): the capability provided to the consumer isto use the provider's applications running on a cloud infrastructure.The applications are accessible from various client devices through athin client interface such as a web browser (e.g., web-based e-mail).The consumer does not manage or control the underlying cloudinfrastructure including network, servers, operating systems, storage,or even individual application capabilities, with the possible exceptionof limited user-specific application configuration settings.

Platform as a Service (PaaS): the capability provided to the consumer isto deploy onto the cloud infrastructure consumer-created or acquiredapplications created using programming languages and tools supported bythe provider. The consumer does not manage or control the underlyingcloud infrastructure including networks, servers, operating systems, orstorage, but has control over the deployed applications and possiblyapplication hosting environment configurations.

Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS): the capability provided to theconsumer is to provision processing, storage, networks, and otherfundamental computing resources where the consumer is able to deploy andrun arbitrary software, which can include operating systems andapplications. The consumer does not manage or control the underlyingcloud infrastructure but has control over operating systems, storage,deployed applications, and possibly limited control of select networkingcomponents (e.g., host firewalls).

Deployment Models are as follows:

Private cloud: the cloud infrastructure is operated solely for anorganization. It may be managed by the organization or a third-party andmay exist on-premises or off-premises.

Community cloud: the cloud infrastructure is shared by severalorganizations and supports a specific community that has shared concerns(e.g., mission, security requirements, policy, and complianceconsiderations). It may be managed by the organizations or a third-partyand may exist on-premises or off-premises.

Public cloud: the cloud infrastructure is made available to the generalpublic or a large industry group and is owned by an organization sellingcloud services.

Hybrid cloud: the cloud infrastructure is a composition of two or moreclouds (private, community, or public) that remain unique entities butare bound together by standardized or proprietary technology thatenables data and application portability (e.g., cloud bursting forload-balancing between clouds).

A cloud computing environment is service oriented with a focus onstatelessness, low coupling, modularity, and semantic interoperability.At the heart of cloud computing is an infrastructure that includes anetwork of interconnected nodes.

Referring now to FIG. 4, illustrative cloud computing environment 410 isdepicted. As shown, cloud computing environment 410 includes one or morecloud computing nodes 400 with which local computing devices used bycloud consumers, such as, for example, personal digital assistant (PDA)or cellular telephone 400A, desktop computer 400B, laptop computer 400C,and/or automobile computer system 400N may communicate. Nodes 400 maycommunicate with one another. They may be grouped (not shown) physicallyor virtually, in one or more networks, such as Private, Community,Public, or Hybrid clouds as described hereinabove, or a combinationthereof. This allows cloud computing environment 410 to offerinfrastructure, platforms and/or software as services for which a cloudconsumer does not need to maintain resources on a local computingdevice. It is understood that the types of computing devices 400A-Nshown in FIG. 4 are intended to be illustrative only and that computingnodes 400 and cloud computing environment 410 can communicate with anytype of computerized device over any type of network and/or networkaddressable connection (e.g., using a web browser).

Referring now to FIG. 5, a set of functional abstraction layers providedby cloud computing environment 410 (FIG. 4) is shown. It should beunderstood in advance that the components, layers, and functions shownin FIG. 5 are intended to be illustrative only and embodiments of theinvention are not limited thereto. As depicted below, the followinglayers and corresponding functions are provided.

Hardware and software layer 500 includes hardware and softwarecomponents. Examples of hardware components include: mainframes 502;RISC (Reduced Instruction Set Computer) architecture based servers 504;servers 506; blade servers 508; storage devices 510; and networks andnetworking components 512. In some embodiments, software componentsinclude network application server software 514 and database software516.

Virtualization layer 520 provides an abstraction layer from which thefollowing examples of virtual entities may be provided: virtual servers522; virtual storage 524; virtual networks 526, including virtualprivate networks; virtual applications and operating systems 528; andvirtual clients 530.

In one example, management layer 540 may provide the functions describedbelow. Resource provisioning 542 provides dynamic procurement ofcomputing resources and other resources that are utilized to performtasks within the cloud computing environment. Metering and Pricing 544provide cost tracking as resources are utilized within the cloudcomputing environment, and billing or invoicing for consumption of theseresources. In one example, these resources may include applicationsoftware licenses. Security provides identity verification for cloudconsumers and tasks, as well as protection for data and other resources.User portal 546 provides access to the cloud computing environment forconsumers and system administrators. Service level management 548provides cloud computing resource allocation and management such thatrequired service levels are met. Service Level Agreement (SLA) planningand fulfillment 550 provide pre-arrangement for, and procurement of,cloud computing resources for which a future requirement is anticipatedin accordance with an SLA.

Workloads layer 560 provides examples of functionality for which thecloud computing environment may be utilized. Examples of workloads andfunctions which may be provided from this layer include: mapping andnavigation 562; software development and lifecycle management 564;virtual classroom education delivery 566; data analytics processing 568;transaction processing 570; and determining to push a data packet to adevice 572.

Referring now to FIG. 6, shown is a high-level block diagram of anexample computer system 601 that may be used in implementing one or moreof the methods, tools, and modules, and any related functions, describedherein (e.g., using one or more processor circuits or computerprocessors of the computer), in accordance with embodiments of thepresent disclosure. In some embodiments, the major components of thecomputer system 601 may comprise one or more CPUs 602, a memorysubsystem 604, a terminal interface 612, a storage interface 616, an I/O(Input/Output) device interface 614, and a network interface 618, all ofwhich may be communicatively coupled, directly or indirectly, forinter-component communication via a memory bus 603, an I/O bus 608, andan I/O bus interface unit 610.

The computer system 601 may contain one or more general-purposeprogrammable central processing units (CPUs) 602A, 602B, 602C, and 602D,herein generically referred to as the CPU 602. In some embodiments, thecomputer system 601 may contain multiple processors typical of arelatively large system; however, in other embodiments the computersystem 601 may alternatively be a single CPU system. Each CPU 602 mayexecute instructions stored in the memory subsystem 604 and may includeone or more levels of on-board cache.

System memory 604 may include computer system readable media in the formof volatile memory, such as random access memory (RAM) 622 or cachememory 624. Computer system 601 may further include otherremovable/non-removable, volatile/non-volatile computer system storagemedia. By way of example only, storage system 626 can be provided forreading from and writing to a non-removable, non-volatile magneticmedia, such as a “hard drive.” Although not shown, a magnetic disk drivefor reading from and writing to a removable, non-volatile magnetic disk(e.g., a “floppy disk”), or an optical disk drive for reading from orwriting to a removable, non-volatile optical disc such as a CD-ROM,DVD-ROM or other optical media can be provided. In addition, memory 604can include flash memory, e.g., a flash memory stick drive or a flashdrive. Memory devices can be connected to memory bus 603 by one or moredata media interfaces. The memory 604 may include at least one programproduct having a set (e.g., at least one) of program modules that areconfigured to carry out the functions of various embodiments.

One or more programs/utilities 628, each having at least one set ofprogram modules 630 may be stored in memory 604. The programs/utilities628 may include a hypervisor (also referred to as a virtual machinemonitor), one or more operating systems, one or more applicationprograms, other program modules, and program data. Each of the operatingsystems, one or more application programs, other program modules, andprogram data or some combination thereof, may include an implementationof a networking environment. Programs 628 and/or program modules 630generally perform the functions or methodologies of various embodiments.

Although the memory bus 603 is shown in FIG. 6 as a single bus structureproviding a direct communication path among the CPUs 602, the memorysubsystem 604, and the I/O bus interface 610, the memory bus 603 may, insome embodiments, include multiple different buses or communicationpaths, which may be arranged in any of various forms, such aspoint-to-point links in hierarchical, star or web configurations,multiple hierarchical buses, parallel and redundant paths, or any otherappropriate type of configuration. Furthermore, while the I/O businterface 610 and the I/O bus 608 are shown as single respective units,the computer system 601 may, in some embodiments, contain multiple I/Obus interface units 610, multiple I/O buses 608, or both. Further, whilemultiple I/O interface units are shown, which separate the I/O bus 608from various communications paths running to the various I/O devices, inother embodiments some or all of the I/O devices may be connecteddirectly to one or more system I/O buses.

In some embodiments, the computer system 601 may be a multi-usermainframe computer system, a single-user system, or a server computer orsimilar device that has little or no direct user interface, but receivesrequests from other computer systems (clients). Further, in someembodiments, the computer system 601 may be implemented as a desktopcomputer, portable computer, laptop or notebook computer, tabletcomputer, pocket computer, telephone, smart phone, network switches orrouters, or any other appropriate type of electronic device.

It is noted that FIG. 6 is intended to depict the representative majorcomponents of an exemplary computer system 601. In some embodiments,however, individual components may have greater or lesser complexitythan as represented in FIG. 6, components other than or in addition tothose shown in FIG. 6 may be present, and the number, type, andconfiguration of such components may vary.

As discussed in more detail herein, it is contemplated that some or allof the operations of some of the embodiments of methods described hereinmay be performed in alternative orders or may not be performed at all;furthermore, multiple operations may occur at the same time or as aninternal part of a larger process.

The present invention may be a system, a method, and/or a computerprogram product. The computer program product may include a computerreadable storage medium (or media) having computer readable programinstructions thereon for causing a processor to carry out aspects of thepresent invention.

The computer readable storage medium can be a tangible device that canretain and store instructions for use by an instruction executiondevice. The computer readable storage medium may be, for example, but isnot limited to, an electronic storage device, a magnetic storage device,an optical storage device, an electromagnetic storage device, asemiconductor storage device, or any suitable combination of theforegoing. A non-exhaustive list of more specific examples of thecomputer readable storage medium includes the following: a portablecomputer diskette, a hard disk, a random access memory (RAM), aread-only memory (ROM), an erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROMor Flash memory), a static random access memory (SRAM), a portablecompact disc read-only memory (CD-ROM), a digital versatile disk (DVD),a memory stick, a floppy disk, a mechanically encoded device such aspunch-cards or raised structures in a groove having instructionsrecorded thereon, and any suitable combination of the foregoing. Acomputer readable storage medium, as used herein, is not to be construedas being transitory signals per se, such as radio waves or other freelypropagating electromagnetic waves, electromagnetic waves propagatingthrough a waveguide or other transmission media (e.g., light pulsespassing through a fiber-optic cable), or electrical signals transmittedthrough a wire.

Computer readable program instructions described herein can bedownloaded to respective computing/processing devices from a computerreadable storage medium or to an external computer or external storagedevice via a network, for example, the Internet, a local area network, awide area network and/or a wireless network. The network may comprisecopper transmission cables, optical transmission fibers, wirelesstransmission, routers, firewalls, switches, gateway computers, and/oredge servers. A network adapter card or network interface in eachcomputing/processing device receives computer readable programinstructions from the network and forwards the computer readable programinstructions for storage in a computer readable storage medium withinthe respective computing/processing device.

Computer readable program instructions for carrying out operations ofthe present invention may be assembler instructions,instruction-set-architecture (ISA) instructions, machine instructions,machine dependent instructions, microcode, firmware instructions,state-setting data, or either source code or object code written in anycombination of one or more programming languages, including an objectoriented programming language such as Smalltalk, C++ or the like, andconventional procedural programming languages, such as the “C”programming language or similar programming languages. The computerreadable program instructions may execute entirely on the user'scomputer, partly on the user's computer, as a stand-alone softwarepackage, partly on the user's computer and partly on a remote computeror entirely on the remote computer or server. In the latter scenario,the remote computer may be connected to the user's computer through anytype of network, including a local area network (LAN) or a wide areanetwork (WAN), or the connection may be made to an external computer(for example, through the Internet using an Internet Service Provider).In some embodiments, electronic circuitry including, for example,programmable logic circuitry, field-programmable gate arrays (FPGA), orprogrammable logic arrays (PLA) may execute the computer readableprogram instructions by utilizing state information of the computerreadable program instructions to personalize the electronic circuitry,in order to perform aspects of the present invention.

Aspects of the present invention are described herein with reference toflowchart illustrations and/or block diagrams of methods, apparatus(systems), and computer program products according to embodiments of theinvention. It will be understood that each block of the flowchartillustrations and/or block diagrams, and combinations of blocks in theflowchart illustrations and/or block diagrams, can be implemented bycomputer readable program instructions.

These computer readable program instructions may be provided to aprocessor of a general purpose computer, special purpose computer, orother programmable data processing apparatus to produce a machine, suchthat the instructions, which execute via the processor of the computeror other programmable data processing apparatus, create means forimplementing the functions/acts specified in the flowchart and/or blockdiagram block or blocks. These computer readable program instructionsmay also be stored in a computer readable storage medium that can directa computer, a programmable data processing apparatus, and/or otherdevices to function in a particular manner, such that the computerreadable storage medium having instructions stored therein comprises anarticle of manufacture including instructions which implement aspects ofthe function/act specified in the flowchart and/or block diagram blockor blocks.

The computer readable program instructions may also be loaded onto acomputer, other programmable data processing apparatus, or other deviceto cause a series of operational steps to be performed on the computer,other programmable apparatus or other device to produce a computerimplemented process, such that the instructions which execute on thecomputer, other programmable apparatus, or other device implement thefunctions/acts specified in the flowchart and/or block diagram block orblocks.

The flowchart and block diagrams in the Figures illustrate thearchitecture, functionality, and operation of possible implementationsof systems, methods, and computer program products according to variousembodiments of the present invention. In this regard, each block in theflowchart or block diagrams may represent a module, segment, or portionof instructions, which comprises one or more executable instructions forimplementing the specified logical function(s). In some alternativeimplementations, the functions noted in the block may occur out of theorder noted in the figures. For example, two blocks shown in successionmay, in fact, be executed substantially concurrently, or the blocks maysometimes be executed in the reverse order, depending upon thefunctionality involved. It will also be noted that each block of theblock diagrams and/or flowchart illustration, and combinations of blocksin the block diagrams and/or flowchart illustration, can be implementedby special purpose hardware-based systems that perform the specifiedfunctions or acts or carry out combinations of special purpose hardwareand computer instructions.

The descriptions of the various embodiments of the present disclosurehave been presented for purposes of illustration, but are not intendedto be exhaustive or limited to the embodiments disclosed. Manymodifications and variations will be apparent to those of ordinary skillin the art without departing from the scope and spirit of the describedembodiments. The terminology used herein was chosen to best explain theprinciples of the embodiments, the practical application or technicalimprovement over technologies found in the marketplace, or to enableothers of ordinary skill in the art to understand the embodimentsdisclosed herein.

Although the present invention has been described in terms of specificembodiments, it is anticipated that alterations and modification thereofwill become apparent to the skilled in the art. Therefore, it isintended that the following claims be interpreted as covering all suchalterations and modifications as fall within the true spirit and scopeof the invention.

What is claimed is:
 1. A computer-implemented method comprising:receiving, by a processor, a first data packet; executing the first datapacket in a secure environment, the secure environment simulating afirst state of a device, wherein the device includes a firewall;determining, from the execution of the first data packet, that the firststate changed to a second state; identifying that the second state is apredetermined secure state; and pushing the data packet to the device inresponse to identifying that the second state is the predeterminedsecure state.
 2. The method of claim 1, wherein determining that thefirst state changed to a second, predetermined secure state comprises:accessing a repository of one or more predetermined secure states; andidentifying that the second state corresponds to at least one of the oneor more secure states.
 3. The method of claim 1, further comprising:receiving a second data packet; executing the second data packet in thesecure environment, the secure environment simulating the second stateof the device; determining, from the execution of the second datapacket, that the second state changed to a third state identifying thatthe third state is an insecure state; halting the pushing of the seconddata packet to the device in response to identifying that the thirdstate is the insecure state; and alerting a user to the halting.
 4. Themethod of claim 3, wherein determining that the second state changed toa third state comprises: accessing a repository of one or morepredetermined secure states; and identifying that the third state doesnot correspond to at least one of the one or more secure states.
 5. Themethod of claim 4, further comprising: accessing a historical datapacket repository, the historical data packet repository storinginformation corresponding to one or more data packets previously pushedto the device; comparing the information associated with the one or moredata packets to information associated with the second data packet; andidentifying that the information associated with the one or more datapackets does not match the information associated with the second datapacket.
 6. The method of claim 1, further comprising: sending, by theprocessor, a second data packet; identifying that the second data packetincludes personal information associated with a user; and deleting thepersonal information from the second data packet.
 7. The method of claim1, further comprising: determining that the first data packet hasauthority to change the first state to the second state by identifyingthat information associated with the first data packet corresponds toone or more commands designated to perform the change.
 8. A systemcomprising: a memory; and a processor in communication with the memory,the processor being configured to perform operations comprising:receiving, by a processor, a first data packet; executing the first datapacket in a secure environment, the secure environment simulating afirst state of a device, wherein the device includes a firewall;determining, from the execution of the first data packet, that the firststate changed to a second state; identifying that the second state is apredetermined secure state; and pushing the data packet to the device inresponse to identifying that the second state is the predeterminedsecure state.
 9. The system of claim 8, wherein determining that thefirst state changed to a second, predetermined secure state comprises:accessing a repository of one or more predetermined secure states; andidentifying that the second state corresponds to at least one of the oneor more secure states.
 10. The system of claim 8, further comprising:receiving a second data packet; executing the second data packet in thesecure environment, the secure environment simulating the second stateof the device; determining, from the execution of the second datapacket, that the second state changed to a third state identifying thatthe third state is an insecure state; halting the pushing of the seconddata packet to the device in response to identifying that the thirdstate is the insecure state; and alerting a user to the halting.
 11. Thesystem of claim 10, wherein determining that the second state changed toa third state comprises: accessing a repository of one or morepredetermined secure states; and identifying that the third state doesnot correspond to at least one of the one or more secure states.
 12. Thesystem of claim 11, further comprising: accessing a historical datapacket repository, the historical data packet repository storinginformation corresponding to one or more data packets previously pushedto the device; comparing the information associated with the one or moredata packets to information associated with the second data packet; andidentifying that the information associated with the one or more datapackets does not match the information associated with the second datapacket.
 13. The system of claim 8, further comprising: sending, by theprocessor, a second data packet; identifying that the second data packetincludes personal information associated with a user; and deleting thepersonal information from the second data packet.
 14. The system ofclaim 8, further comprising: determining that the first data packet hasauthority to change the first state to the second state by identifyingthat information associated with the first data packet corresponds toone or more commands designated to perform the change.
 15. A computerprogram product comprising a non-transitory computer readable storagemedium having program instructions embodied therewith, the programinstructions executable by a processor to cause the processor to performa method, the method comprising: receiving, by a processor, a first datapacket; executing the first data packet in a secure environment, thesecure environment simulating a first state of a device, wherein thedevice includes a firewall; determining, from the execution of the firstdata packet, that the first state changed to a second state; identifyingthat the second state is a predetermined secure state; and pushing thedata packet to the device in response to identifying that the secondstate is the predetermined secure state.
 16. The computer programproduct of claim 15, wherein determining that the first state changed toa second, predetermined secure state comprises: accessing a repositoryof one or more predetermined secure states; and identifying that thesecond state corresponds to at least one of the one or more securestates.
 17. The computer program product of claim 15, furthercomprising: receiving a second data packet; executing the second datapacket in the secure environment, the secure environment simulating thesecond state of the device; determining, from the execution of thesecond data packet, that the second state changed to a third stateidentifying that the third state is an insecure state; halting thepushing of the second data packet to the device in response toidentifying that the third state is the insecure state; and alerting auser to the halting.
 18. The computer program product of claim 17,wherein determining that the second state changed to a third statecomprises: accessing a repository of one or more predetermined securestates; and identifying that the third state does not correspond to atleast one of the one or more secure states.
 19. The computer programproduct of claim 18, further comprising: accessing a historical datapacket repository, the historical data packet repository storinginformation corresponding to one or more data packets previously pushedto the device; comparing the information associated with the one or moredata packets to information associated with the second data packet; andidentifying that the information associated with the one or more datapackets does not match the information associated with the second datapacket.
 20. The computer program product of claim 15, furthercomprising: sending, by the processor, a second data packet; identifyingthat the second data packet includes personal information associatedwith a user; and deleting the personal information from the second datapacket.